Best Film History Organization

Chicago Film Archive

Film preservation is a cultural cause whose time has come, especially since there are already so many historic films whose time has gone. Launched in 2003, when the Chicago Public Library decided to unload its collection of 16-millimeter films, the Chicago Film Archive has built on that initial acquisition, obtaining numerous collections that highlight such regional filmmakers as Margaret Conneely, Millie Goldsholl, and Peter Kuttner. In April the CFA won a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to preserve nearly 1,000 items from the collection of choreographer Ruth Page. Yet its preservation efforts extend down to the grassroots as well, with free home-movie workshops: people can walk in with their old footage and get advice on how to protect it.